Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing – Sept. 21, 2021

By Dilan Pamuk

ANKARA (AA) - Anadolu Agency is here with a rundown of the latest developments in Turkey, around the world, and the coronavirus pandemic.

- Developments in Turkey, coronavirus pandemic and other news

Turkey has administered over 105.6 million coronavirus vaccine jabs since the country launched an immunization drive in January. Some 52.8 million people have gotten their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while more than 42.3 million are fully vaccinated. The Health Ministry reported 27,688 new coronavirus cases, while 231 more people lost their fight against the disease in the last 24 hours.

Blasting a Greek move on its maritime territory as “provocative,” Turkey issued a counter naval alert for its continental shelf area in the Aegean Sea.

Turkish forces neutralized three PKK terrorists in northern Iraq. The terrorists were neutralized by ATAK helicopters in the Operation Pence-Simsek zone. Separately, at least four PKK terrorists were neutralized in an air-backed operation in rural areas of Turkey's eastern Bitlis province.

Turkish and Azerbaijani forces on Monday launched a joint military exercise in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Region.

- Other developments

North Korea condemned the new security pact between the US, UK and Australia, terming it “extremely undesirable” and warning that it could spark a “nuclear arms race.”

At least six people were killed and several others injured when a gunman opened fire at a university in the Russian city of Perm.

Turkey’s Parliament Speaker Mustafa Sentop met with the president of Spain’s Congress of Deputies Meritxell Batet at the assembly building in Madrid.

The Daesh/ISIS terrorist group has taken credit for Sunday’s back-to-back bombings in eastern Afghanistan that claimed at least three lives.

The Biden administration announced that it will lift COVID-19 travel bans starting in November while mandating that all foreign nationals seeking to come to the US show proof of vaccination before they are allowed entry.

A volcanic eruption on the Spanish Canary Island of La Palma has destroyed around 100 homes, large swathes of agricultural land, roads and businesses.

Calling the landmark building "a masterpiece," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has officially inaugurated the Turkevi Center, or Turkish House, in New York City.

President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party secured more than 49% of the votes in parliamentary elections.

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has called for cooperation between the developed and developing world to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Monday with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York.

The Lebanese government won a vote of confidence from the country’s parliament, ending 13 months of political deadlock in the country.

The 65th Annual Regular Session of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference began in the Austrian capital Vienna.

US President Joe Biden is moving to significantly increase the number of refugees his country will resettle annually for the 2022 fiscal year, fulfilling a pledge he made on the campaign trail.​​​​​​​

American business magnate Bill Gates’ nonprofit organization, Breakthrough Energy, announced Monday that it has partnered with seven corporations for its program to accelerate the development of climate-smart technologies to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.